George Shrinks

George Shrinks
Main title
Format	Animated series
Created by	William Joyce
Written by	Ken Cuperus Dave Dias Hugh Duffy Richard Elliott Ben Joseph
Starring	Robbi Jay Thuet Bryn McAuley Paul O'Sullivan Tracey Moore Kathleen Laskey
Country of origin	Canada
No. of episodes	40
Production
Running time	30 minutes per episode
Production company(s)	Jade Animation PBS Nelvana
Broadcast
Original channel	PBS (2000) TVO (2000) Spacetoon 2011
Original run	September 30, 2000 (2000-09-30) – December 1, 2001 (2001-12-01)

George Shrinks is a Canadian animated television series. It is based on the children's book by William Joyce, produced in China by Jade Animation and in Canada by Nelvana, in association with Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). It tells the story of a ten-year-old boy named George who, for unexplained reasons, is only three inches tall. The show details his adventures with his friends and family and riding in his "Zooper car", and other gadgets for his size.

The series started on September 30, 2000 on PBS Kids as part of PBS Kids Bookworm Bunch. The Bookworm Bunch disbanded in 2004, but George Shrinks was given an individual PBS debut on January 6, 2003. The first season consisted of forty episodes, targeted at children five years old and under. The final show aired in mid-2004, though it is still in syndication. However, it ended without a single rerun.

The original book version had a younger boy who awakes one morning to find himself tiny. He has an encounter with a cat, flies a miniature plane, sails in an ocean-sized tub, eats gigantic food, and rides on top of his giant sized toddler brother before he abruptly grows back to normal size.

Content

Because of George's tiny size, even mundane activities, such as working around the house or playing outside, often become dramatic adventures. His primary mode of transportation is his Zooper Car, a multi-purpose miniature vehicle he built with his father that can do things like transform into a submarine or a helicopter. George often has interesting encounters with animals who, although they do not talk, seem to be able to communicate with George throughout the series. On one occasion, he encountered a robotic alien that was his own size, and helped it get back home.

The show affects a retro-1940s look, with simple animation and colors. Primarily jazz is used for background music, reflecting both his father's occupation as a musician who tinkers with inventing new musical instruments and his mother's style as an avant-garde artist. However, statements made in the characters' dialogue imply that events take place in the year 2000, or the year that the showing episode was produced and filmed.

The theme song, in a jump blues style, is sung by Canadian blues musician Colin James.

Characters

• George Shrinks — George, age ten, is the main character of the series. George wakes up from a dream to discover he his small-- "Based on William Joyce's book, George Shrinks is an animated series about a boy who wakes up and discovers he's the size of a mouse"-- from PBS kids website http://www.pbs.org/parents/tvprograms/program-georgeshrinks.html; his golden plated baby shoes were extremely tiny seen in "Round Up The Usual Insects". Because of his small stature, George has had to invent his own adaptive devicees, most notably the Zooper car (a small vehicle which George built with his father, and which can be automatically transformed into an airplane, a helicopter, or a submarine). Another invention is a system of pneumatic tubes, which George also uses for transportation. He is voiced by Tracey Moore.
• Junior Shrinks — George's baby brother, who often accompanies George in his adventures around the house. Junior is George's "sidekick" and "gopher", doing the tasks that are too difficult for George because of the latter's stature. However, his playfulness and his size sometimes leads to accidents, though Junior's sincere "Sowwy, George," always gets his brother to forgive him. He is voiced by Bryn McAuley.
• Becky Lopez — George's best friend who lives next door. She and George go on many exploits and adventures. Becky is also the captain for a Little League ice hockey team called the Storks, whose terribly bad goal-scoring drought was the focus of one of the later episodes.
• "Mom" Perdita Shrinks — Mom is a freelance artist by trade who builds, sculpts and welds with a very abstract style. She is a member of the town's art committee, and is into organic foods. Mom is also very supportive of the projects that the family and kids work on, and she enjoys helping out in the community. She also used to be a rockette which George reveals his dad told him in "If It Ain't Broke" episode. She is voiced by Kathleen Laskey.
• "Dad" Harold Shrinks — Dad is a musician in a jazz band, and he is constantly building and trying out new instruments (most of which resemble oversized and distorted tubas and saxophones) in the search for the "perfect sound". Dad is a bit eccentric, but still loves his family and is a good father. He is voiced by Paul O'Sullivan.

Other, minor and one-time characters

• Timmy and Jimmy Fortevoce— Timmy and Jimmy are identical twins, members of Becky's hockey team—Jimmy plays center and Timmy plays defense. Despite appearing in just two episodes, they still play an important role as supporting members of the cast. In Italian, their last name literally means "Loud Voice".

• Aunt Eunice— Aunt Eunice is George and Junior's great aunt (but whom the entire family calls 'aunt'), who sometimes serves as their babysitter. The first time she watched the boys, she was very patronizing toward George, treating him as though his size were a handicap and "assisting" him at every turn. However, Aunt Eunice's ways are changed when George fixes her prized plant, a Bonsai tree named "Maurice", which has seemingly been damaged beyond repair. In "Return To Sender", she expresses complete confidence in that George will handle himself just fine when he was mailed to various locations across the planet, and that he can mail his way back home safely. She has travelled around the world; as such, she knows a great deal about different places as well as people. The boys' mother Perdita is Eunice's niece.

• Ellen— Ellen is a kindhearted girl next door with a Chinese nationality. Despite only appearing in three episodes, Ellen plays a major role in two of them. Ellen is a fan of old horror movies and enjoys playing harmless practical jokes. She has an older brother, Matt, who is the owner of an anole lizard named Ting-Ting (which, as Ellen describes, is literally Chinese for "Gracefully Graceful"). She is left-handed and a member of the Storks, Becky's hockey team, as a forward on the left wing.

• Hilda and Henry— Hilda and Henry are two blond-haired, glasses wearing fraternal twins. They say almost everything in unison and only appear in two episodes. They enjoy playing tricks on one another, such as during a scary movies night at the Shrinks' residence. They are somewhat competitive, but are good friends with George and Becky.

• Helga— Helga is the goaltender for the Storks, a Little League Hockey Team that is the focus of the episode "Coach Shrinks". This episode is her only appearance, in which she plays a major role. She usually wears glasses, except on the ice because the lenses fog up.

• Lizzy — Lizzy is the right-wing forward for the Storks, Becky's little League Hockey Team. She's skilled at turning on the spot because of her previous experience figure skating; she joined a hockey team because she felt figure skating was lonely and wanted to join a team.

• Russell Copeland— Russell is a kindhearted senior that used to live in George's house as a boy. He is also a retired veterinarian.

• The Cadwells— Seen only in the episode "Speed Shrinks", they are two twins similar to Hilda and Henry, but they are somewhat villainous. They build a craft similar to the SR-71 Blackbird and use its special features to sabotage and unfairly halt the other racers in order to win.
• Skyler— George and Junior's cousin once removed. Seen only in Toy George.

Episode guide

#	Title	Summary
1	On The Road - September 30, 2000	George and his family go to Capital City for Dad's big band concert. The first episode.
2	Friends and Anemones - October 7, 2000	When Junior accidentally loses his simian shrimp at an aquarium, George must set out to recover the little guys before they are eaten by residential fish. The first use of the Zoopersub. First appearance of Becky. The title is a pun on the phrase "Friends and Enemies".
3	If I Ran The Circus - October 14, 2000	The circus is in town, and the Shrinks family is all excited about going. But everyone's plans are threatened when a surprise attack of chicken pox hits Junior. First episode in the Shrinks' house.
4	Coach Shrinks - October 21, 2000	George makes an effort to help Becky's struggling hockey team (which hasn't scored all season) to score a goal. Only appearances of Lizzy, Helga, and the Storks. First appearance of the Fortevoce twins.
5	Becky In Wonderland - October 28, 2000	George and Becky read Alice in Wonderland, and are transported into a fantasy world of caterpillars, rabbits, and creatures. Only fantasy themed episode.
6	George Unshrinks - November 5, 2000	When George, Dad, and Junior all have dreams about being different sizes, they find out that staying their original size would have prevented a lot more problems. Only appearance of George as a normally sized boy (albeit this occurs in a dream). This is the only episode in which the Zoopercar is driven by someone other than George.
7	Migrate-est Adventure - November 12, 2000	After a monarch butterfly emerges from its cocoon in George's room, George and his family track a butterfly on its migration route with a scientist.
8	Toy George - November 19, 2000	George puts on a school play of Pinocchio, featuring Junior and their first cousin once removed, Skyler.
9	Lost and Found Art - November 26, 2000	After George and Becky carelessly lose Mom's found art sculpture, they set out to recover all of the pieces before they are recycled and permanently lost.
10	If It Ain't Broke - December 3, 2000	George and Junior sneak an illegal peek at Mom's surprise birthday sculpture for Dad (something she told them not to do), and get more trouble than they bargained for. This episode appears to be a continuity error as it begins with George introducing everyone.
11	Ghost of Shrinks Manor - December 10, 2000	After Dad tells a spooky ghost story, George and Becky are so convinced that there is a ghost in the Shrinks House that they forget to think about a logical explanation for the spooky goings on at night.
12	Can We Keep Him? - December 17, 2000	George nurses a mouse with an injured leg back to health, but not without upsetting Junior, who feels that the mouse has taken away all of George's attention.
13	Journey to the Center of the Garden - December 24, 2000	George and Becky's bean project is going AWOL, so George sets out to find out what could be causing the trouble.
14	Close Encounters of The Bird Kind - December 31, 2000	George meets a new kid on the block named Becky, and helps a little bird learn to fly. This episode is a continuity error, as George and Becky don't know each other.
15	Dog Sitting Miss Daisy - January 7, 2001	George is planning a surprise birthday party for Becky... but her present (a little dog) keeps messing things up.
16	Ants In The Pantry - January 14, 2001	An army of ants threatens to attack the family's picnic and George tries to stop them by himself.
17	Return To Sender - January 21, 2001	When George gets trapped in a mail parcel headed to Nigeria, he ends up going all around the world in a strange turn of events.
18	Round Up The Usual Insects - January 28, 2001	George and Becky carry out another science project about bugs, but when Junior releases them all, the pair need to round them up before Mom's party is ruined.
19	The More Things Change - February 29, 2001	George and Becky find half of a treasure map belong to Russell Copeland and the trio set out with Russell's friend Edna (who has the other half) to find their buried treasure, though not without some friction between some old friends.
20	From Bad To Worse - March 24, 2001	When Aunt Eunice is left to babysit George and Junior, George sets out to prove he can do all the things a regular ten year old boy can do, but not without various mishaps.
21	George-Lo-Phone - April 4, 2001	When George is rejected by the school's band because he is too small to play the piano, George and Dad resolve to create a one-of-a-kind musical instrument to prove everyone otherwise.
22	Sunken Treasures - April 11, 2001	George and Becky find a hidden room in the attic belonging to a boy named Russell, who lived in the house 70 years ago, and after reading his journal, use George's Zoopersub to recover a lost toy. This episode is a continuity error, as George doesn't know Russell. This episdode is also the first to be rated C8 in the Canadian version.
23	Down On The Bayou - May 15, 2001	The Shrinks family take their annual camping trip, and this year, George inherits his father's special compass.
24	Snowman's Land - June 21, 2001	After a huge snowfall, everyone is having fun but a disappointed Becky, who has the measles and won't be able to make her annual snowman from the first snowfall. George decides to make one for her, but risks being lost in a terrible blizzard.
25	A Star Is Shrunk - June 24, 2001	Mom, Dad, and Aunt Eunice all get small parts in a movie being filmed in town, but George becomes the real star when he gets to stand in the for the hero of the movie.
26	Monster Mash - July 13, 2001	A new neighbor proves that everyone's negative first impression of her was wrong with her clever contributions to George and company's annual Monster Movie Marathon.
27	In the Duck Soup - July 29, 2001	When Junior's beloved toy duck "Wiggy" is broken, George and Junior take it to a local toy inventor to fix it. The duck is saved, but not safe unless George can stop a legion of flawed toy robots from wrecking Junior's duck.
28	George's Apprentice - August 17, 2001	George manages to get his parents to buy him a new cool robot, but the toy proves to be more troublesome than he anticipates.
29	The Lost World of George Shrinks - August 31, 2001	George and Ellen release Ting-Ting, Ellen's older brother's lizard, when they aren't supposed to and must track it down to the local zoo while learning about following instructions.
30	Tankful of Trouble - September 15, 2001	George and Becky planned to raise a frog for a science project, but things get out of hand when they end up with a bunch of frog eggs and far too many baby frogs.
31	Zoopercar Caper - September 24, 2001	A pair of toymakers, stumped for new ideas, find out about the Zooper Car. In order to please their hard-to-please boss, they decide to acquire it from George by hook or crook. This episode is a continuity error, as George hasn't built the Zooper Car yet.
32	All Along the Clocktower - October 15, 2001	For the town's big anniversary, everyone decides to fix up town hall and the broken clocktower attached, despite rumours that the clocktower is cursed.
33	Down the Drain - November 1, 2001	George promises to keep a ring well hidden and safe that Dad plans to give Mom for their anniversary, but ends up going through the house's drainage system when the ring accidentally falls into the sink drain.
34	Return of the Space Invaders - November 6, 2001	George, Junior, and Aunt Eunice end up meeting Manigishi (Manny for short), a space alien who appears to be of the same kind as George met earlier. She needs their help repairing her crashed spaceship. She needs it too; an upcoming meteor shower will make it impossible to get back home.
35	A Day at the Beach November 11, 2001	George and Junior are excited about taking a trip to the beach, even though Mom is suffering from artist's block near a deadline and Dad needs to come up with a new tune soon.
36	Small of the Wild November 16, 2001	George and Becky prepare for the worst and attempt to save a yard full of animals when a bad winter storm comes around.
37	King Kongo - November 21, 2001	Junior, who's supposed to be starring in George and Becky's monster movie, is more interested in eating cookies than in acting. They decide to find a replacement right in their backyard a monkey who has escaped from the circus, but things get a little crazy when their new star crashes the arts fund-raiser which Mom and Dad are hosting.
38	Speed Shrinks - November 26, 2001	George and Becky enter a model car race, but need to watch out for competitors who aren't beyond winning if it means cheating.
39	George vs. the Space Invaders - November 30, 2001	Too much pepperoni pizza and scary movies, along with Dad's new musical instrument, have George on edge, especially when real space aliens drop by for a visit and George can't convince anyone he isn't just imagining things. This episode is a continuity error, as George hasn't yet met the aliens.
40	Hound of the Bathervilles - December 1, 2001	To raise money and awareness for a local animal shelter, George and Becky set up a pet-wash-a-matic, but finds things turning upside down when a stray dog turns out to be someone's cherished pet. The series finale.

PBS funding

• Juicy Juice (2000–2004)
• Barnes and Noble (2000–2003)
• Hasbro (2000–2003)
• "Viewers Like You" (2003–2004)

External links

• George Shrinks Episode Guide at Big Cartoon DataBase
• George Shrinks at the Internet Movie Database